Nets vs Magic : Recap

After the 30 point loss to the Miami Heat, the Brooklyn Nets were facing a sub-par team in the Orlando Magic. The Nets opened up the first half with a Brook Lopez layup. Within two minutes of the game , Brook Lopez  looked to restore dominance as he should with under sized big men guarding him. Wednesday nights game was an embarrassment, when  he allowed Chris Bosh and smaller players to push him around. He got off to good start with 8 points and 4 rebounds, giving the Nets a 13 to 4 lead early in the first quarter. Brook was a bright spot in the offense but you can still see the lack of chemistry between the players. Turnovers and lack of spacing continues too be a problem along with the defense ,but there are signs of improvement. After the first quarter, the Nets lead 19 to 17.

In the second quarter, the bench really came out firing. Veteran Jerry Stackhouse made his season debut, scoring 11 points matching his high of all last year with the Atlanta Hawks. Andray Blatche also helped out with 8 points and 5 rebounds continuing his aggressive play. Josh Childress  made his debut playing great defense, helping the second unit push the lead with a steal and a fast break bucket by Kris Humphries. Without, MarShon Brooks, the Nets second unit showed the world how sneaky and dangerous they can be. They even held the Magic bench to 4 points while they netted 25. The starters eventually returned and continued to feed Brook which was clearly a mis-match from the start of the game.  He also finished the second half with six rebounds and 3 blocks, helping the Nets to a 14 point lead.

With the score 50 to 36, the Orlando Magic looked  to cut the lead and they did. With a couple baskets, the lead was down to seven. Joe Johnson converted on a three and immediately quelled the Magic's comeback. Deron Williams became more assertive with scoring the ball and pushed the Nets to a comfortable lead. The plays were ran for him and he delivered with made jump shots and play making. It was obvious that the Nets came out with a "NOT THIS GAME" mindset. Lopez had a double-double by the third quarter with 14 points and 10 rebounds. The lead was pushed to 20 and the Nets continued to score while preventing the Magic from doing anything . After the third, the Nets were up 75 to 51.

By the fourth quarter the game looked like a convincing win for the nets. Three pointers made by C.J. Watson and Joe Johnson pushed the lead. As minutes passed the lead stretched even more and ended being at 30. Strong bench play continued but from other players. Tyshawn Taylor came in and gave a spark, finishing  with 5 points and 2 steals. Andray Blatche finished with  a near double-double in 15 points and 9 rebounds. Tornike Shengelia also came in with six points but left the game with an emphatic dunk. This game was far from competitive as the Nets finished with a 39 point win.

Overall the Nets did what was expected, but with force. The game ball should go to the Nets bench outscoring the Magic's 55 to 18. This was without the Nets sixth man MarShon Brooks and they looked like a bench that needs to be reckoned with. After all, this team has talent at every position but the key is consistency. This was a perfect bounce back game and it should lift the teams spirits into Sunday's game against the Magic in Brooklyn. This win ends a 10 game losing streak in Orlando which was a huge burden over the years. Hopefully, this team builds  confidence after this win and continues to take steps forward in the future.

Final result: 107-68 Nets
Disappointing stat of the game: 11 turnovers
Promising stat of the game: Bench scored 55 points
Scary Moment of the Game: Lead was cut down to 7 early in the third quarter.
Best moment of the Game: Tornike Shengelia with the foreign facial.

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